It has been a weekend of riots. They began on Friday night in Sunderland, and were repeated in Bristol, Stoke, Hull, Belfast, Leeds, Manchester, Blackpool and Liverpool on Saturday. People threw bricks and bottles at the police, who put up their shields and wielded batons in response. In Hull, a Greggs and a Specsavers were smashed up and a Shoezone was set on fire. Some cities, such as London, saw protests that did not escalate.
The Sunday Telegraph says that courts could be open for 24 hours a day in order to dampen the chaos. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that ‘criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets’. The National Police Chiefs Council said they are bringing in 4,000 more police officers to calm tensions over the next few days.
Images circulated on social media of far-right thugs destroying shops and fighting with police. One shows a group jumping on an Asian man’s car, calling him a p—. A video shows protestors in Liverpool forcing a policeman off his motorbike. Footage also appeared to show protestors carrying sticks and batons, pledging to ‘defend mosques’.
Some further protests are planned across the country today, although most were planned for Saturday. An extra 70 prosecutors are working this weekend to charge those suspected of committing disorder.
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